Method of and composition for increasing the conductivity of



, electricity Patented June 16, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WOLF KRITCHEVSKY AND ELLIOTT MORRILL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS, BY

MESN E ASSIGNMENTS, TO ILLINOIS SPARKLESS METHOD OF AND COMPOSITION FOR INCREASING THE CLEANER COMPANY, .A CORPORATION OF CON DUCTIVITY OF HYDROCARIBON S No Drawing. Application filed June 20,

Our invention relates to compositions such as described in the title, and particularly to a simple and cheaply produced chemical and process for use for accomplishing the desired result.

It is a well-known fact that aliphatic hydrocarbons do not conduct electricity, like for instance naphtha, gasoline, kerosene, benzine, pctrolatum etc. The result is that when they come in contact with materials that are electrically charged, sparks are formed due to the accumulation of static electricity and it is discharged into the air. For instance, if a quantity of benzine is drawn through pipes that are electrically charged, sparks will be formed, or by brushing metallic surfaces against each other in benzine of other petroleum hydrocarbons.

There may be no harm from spark formation when higher hydrocarbons are used, and the flash point is high, as there would be no danger of explosion or ignition. On the other hand, when this happens to all hydrocarbons like benzine, cleaners naphtha, or gasoline, where the. flash point is about room temperature, the sparks 'lormcd ignite the hydrocarbon and especially the fumes in the air, and an explosion takes place.

The lighter hydrocarbons have a multitude of uses under conditions where static is formed, and in the absence of means for dissipating the accumulated elec tricity there is constant danger of sparking. This is illustrated in the transporting of quantities of gasoline and benzine, etc. in tanks by motor truck, in which the practice is to append a chain to the frame of the vehicle, allowing it to drag on the ground. In other cases, the possibility of grounding the charge is more difl icult danger from explosions from sparks. In some cases it is necessary to brush articles with metal brushes and gasoline and there are many cases of explosions taking place during this process.

very important use for naphtha is in the cleaning and dyeing industry. It is well known that the best known cleaner for garments is naphtha which is a petroleum hydrocarbon. It has been used for many years and there is constant 1929. Serial No. 372,534.

for professional cleaning and also by the general public. The process consists in washing and rubbing garments in straight naphtha to which a benzine soluble soap has been added.

One of the main disadvantages of the use of naphtha is that it is a nonconductor of electricity, having a resistance of about one million megohms. For this reason, silk or WOOl garments, when they are washed or rubbed in it form static electricity. This electricity, when it accumulates, forms sparks. These sparks ignite the naphtha vapors in the air and an explosion takes place. A number of accidents have happened and the result is that the insurance rate in dyeing and cleaning establishments is prohibitive. Lately, the cleaners are using a higher boiling fraction of naphtha, which is a kerosene. The disadvantage of using this kerosene is that it requires special equip.- ment to dry it out from the garments and to eliminate the odor of kerosene.

The general public which has not any special cleaners equipment is still confined to the use of naphtha and accidents due to eXplosions are frequent.

A preparation to increase the conductivity of naphtha was suggested some years ago by a German chemist, Dr. Richter, and this preparation has been named after him, Richterol. Richterol has not attained a Very great degree of success for many reasons. The composition of Richterol is magnesium oleate, which is known to increase the conductivity of cleaners naphtha. Magnesium oleate made by the wet process will not dissolve in gasoline or naphtha and for this reason will not increase the conductivity of either of them. Even properly prepared oleate of magnesium is very sparinglysoluble in naphtha; traces of Water will precipitate it. In general, it has proven to be .Very unreliable and its use has been quite limited. Other metallic salts of fattyacids have been tried and have proven to be still less adaptable than magnesium oleate.

We have found that the organic ammonium salts of fatty acidswhich are soluble in petroleum hydrocarbons remarkably increase the conductivity of those hydrocarbons; this includes the organic substitution products of ammonia that are soluble in the described medium. For instance, by substituting one of the hydrogens of ammonium oleate with the methyl oup, the substance taking the place of the ydrogen linked to the nitrogen atom, we get methyl ammonium oleate the same way we can obtain the ethyl ammonium oleate, the phenyl ammonium oleate, the hydroXy alkyl ammonium oleate, benzyl ammonium oleate, or instead of the oleates, the linoleatcs, stcaratcs, palmitates, laurates, ricinoleates, resina-tes of an caid capable of forming a so-called soap. Instead of monoderivatives, di, tri and tetra derivatives can be formed or their mixtures. For instance, We can have tri-ethyl ammonium oleate, dihydroxy diethyl ammonium resinate, etc. In other words, any soap compound which is an organic substitution product of the (ammonium salt of a fatty acid.

As an example, we wish to cite one that will be illustrative of all the combinations above stated. For instance, when we dissolve one part of tri-ethanol amine oleatein 2000 parts of cleaners naphtha, the resistance of the naphtha decreases from one million megohms to less than ten megohms. In other words, the conductivity has increased 100,000 times. Similar observations have been made on ethyl amine oleate and many other chemicals belonging to the same class.

We have added one ounce of ethyl amine oleate to 15 gallons of gasoline and have washed in it silk garments, rubbed them and treated them otherwise to produce static electricity, and yet there was not spark formation. We have taken a small portion of ordi nary gasoline and dipped the two balls of an electro-static machine therein, and by revolving it a few times, we have produced sparks in the gasoline which has ignited the hydrocarbon; we then took the same amount of gasoline treated as above described, and dippedthe two balls in this same mixture, and revolved the machine for a long time and no sparks were formed, either in the gasoline so treated or around the brushes. We have also used gasoline so treated and used it as a cleaner with and no sparks were formed. We have placed a motor in this solution and let it run and there was no spark formation whatever at the brushes, while otherwise there would have been continuous sparking at the brushes. We believe we have sufliciently described our invention to include the scope of chemicals we desire to use and have indicated in a general way applications and possibilities of it.

The solvent in which the chemical used for increasing conductivity is combined need not necessarily be a petroleum hydrocarbon. It may be propyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, acetone, or any other organic solvent that will act as a metal brush on metal surfaces a solvent for these particular chemicals and that will dissolve in petroleum hydrocarbons.

We prefer to represent the product by the following formula in which R equals hydrogen, an alkyl group, the hydroxy derivatives of an alkyl group, the substitution products of an alkyl group, X equals an alkyl group, the hydroxy derivatives of an alkyl group, the substitution products of an alkyl group, N equals nitrogen and FA equals any fatty acid or resin acids like abietic acid. In each case all the three Rs and the X may he the same group, or they may be different groups. For instance, this formula may indicate tetra-ethyl-amine oleate, triethyl-amine-palmitate, or mono-ethyl-aminesteal-ate, etc.

We claim:

1. A composition of matter that is a conductor of electricity consisting of a light petroleum distillate, and a chemical of the general formula Ra in which R equals hydrogen, an alkyl group, hydroxy derivatives of an alkyl group, the

substitution products of any alkyl group, X equals an alkyl group, hydroxy derivatives of any alkyl group, the substitution products of any alkyl group, N equals nitrogen, and FA equals any soap forming higher fatty acid, said chemical being soluble in said distillate.

2. A composition of matter that is a conductor of electricity consisting of a chemical of the general formula substitution products of any al yl group, N equals nitrogen, FA is any soap forming higher fatty acid, X equals an alkyl group,

hydroxy derivatives of any alkyl group, the substitution product-s of any alkyl group, and a solvent therefor, the finished product being soluble in light petroleum distillate.

3. A composition of matter for increasing the conductivity of a light petroleum distillate, consisting of tri-ethanol amine oleate, and a solvent therefor, the composition being soluble in said distillate.

4. A composition of matter for increasing the conductivity of light petroleum distillates, consisting of tri-ethanol amine oleate and a solvent therefor that is not a light petroleum distillate, the composition being soluble in said distillate.

5. A composition of matter for increasing the conductivity. of light petroleum distillate consisting of mono-ethanol amine oleate,

and a solvent therefor, the composition being soluble in said distillate.

6. A composition of matter for increasing the conductivity of light petroleum distillates, consisting of mono-ethanol amine oleate and a solvent therefor that is not a light petroleum distillate, the composition being soluble in said distillate.

7 A. composition of matter for increasing 10 the conductivity of a light petroleum distillate consisting of di-ethanol amine oleate, and a solvent therefor, the composition being soluble in said distillate.

8. A composition of matter for increasing the conductivity of light petroleum distillates, consistin of di-ethanol amine oleate and a solvent 1: erefor that is not a light petroleum distillate, the composition being soluble in said distillate. In testimony whereof we have aflixed our si gnatu res.

WOLF KRITGHEVSKY. ELLIOTT MORRILL. 

